Onkyo A800 – "MASTER CLASS"

[Saberpunch]

As for the balanced cables copper is their preference as silver will sound 1mm more resolving and a little bigger on bass but less natural, as usually happens with silver cables

What kind of brand cable do you use or is it diy? I was thinking of getting Cardas Clear for my Onkyo A800.

 

[Saberpunch]

a800 have a preference to portray drums guitar in pop rock etc, and strings in orchestra , in fact I was surprised to hear so frequently drums so close and upfront with them Vs other headphones set as a drummer ; also archs ( viola in particular ) can be emotional . They pair well with clear trasparent sources ; a slightly bright source can benefit them whereas they pair badly with warm sources ; a matched tube amp can help add some life in vocals or mids, not my preference for them anyhow.

Nice write up on the Onkyo A800
I do agree that the Onkyo A800 nailed it for Drums, Guitar (at least acoustic guitar for me), and strings instruments. I will have to disagree on your comment that they paired badly on warm sources. Even on warm sources they still perform fantastic, but obviously that just my preference in the end. I have a very warm forward DAC, the Mojo Mystique Evo, and the Onkyo A800 still sound sweet to my ears.

 

[Sonic Defender]

DELETED, why bother right? Just makes the thread go OT.

 

[Saberpunch]

DELETED, why bother right? Just makes the thread go OT.

I want this thread to be more active and get more people's attention on the Onkyo A800 and maybe someone will look at this thread and create a successor in the future. Don't worry about derailing the thread as there aren't many active users here anyway. Unless it isn't Onkyo A800 related, I'm sure it will be fine, especially if it's coming from an OG Onkyo A800 owner.

 

[boodi]

What kind of brand cable do you use or is it diy? I was thinking of getting Cardas Clear for my Onkyo A800.

I tried some cables then ended making my own ofc simple 1 wire 16 core balanced cable , due to an asymettrical Onkyo ( or Marshall ?) design choice for the soldering on the left and right channels plug - and to the rarity of the a800 - I was not able to find many ready aftermarket choices around .
Among 4 balanced cables i find the simple ocf copper cable the best as bass is very textured and gripping and the rest sounds right and detailed enough.
As for cardas/balanced i used it on hd600 with good results , was not the "clear" though so..., to my knowledge moon audio can build good tailored and long lasting cable..I still would look and ask for single wire copper for a800 ....

As for warm sources or amps ..

I tried a couple of tube amps, also the Mojo too among some > the sound was quite heavily tilted towards mid bass and bass region with it , it lost air but also resolution in listenings it definitely lost some sound information in the high , this made it clear it was not for me or for a800 and my taste ; and the Burson Conductor -in simple configuration- was so much better in many aspects that didn't make me think twice about sound colour of source or amp. But just my ears and needs . I do not dislike the Mojo as a portable setup but it is not the most resolving and transparent dac/amp around ,I found it heavily tilted toward warmness, paired pretty well with some bright and fast cans too.., a800 are a bit slow , they portray better the core and decay of sound then the attack ( thing that I quite like as part of their own peculiar character ..) and can be quite heavy and solid already for body of sound and bass so... My favourite match is not warm for them but as clear and transparent as possible.

 

[Saberpunch]

As for cardas/balanced i used it on hd600 with good results , was not the "clear" though so..., to my knowledge moon audio can build good tailored and long lasting cable..I still would look and ask for single wire copper for a800 ....

As for warm sources or amps ..

I tried a couple of tube amps, also the Mojo too among some > the sound was quite heavily tilted towards mid bass and bass region with it , it lost air but also resolution in listenings it definitely lost some sound information in the high , this made it clear it was not for me or for a800 and my taste ; and the Burson Conductor -in simple configuration- was so much better in many aspects that didn't make me think twice about sound colour of source or amp. But just my ears and needs . I do not dislike the Mojo as a portable setup but it is not the most resolving and transparent dac/amp around ,I found it heavily tilted toward warmness, paired pretty well with some bright and fast cans too.., a800 are a bit slow , they portray better the core and decay of sound then the attack ( thing that I quite like as part of their own peculiar character ..) and can be quite heavy and solid already for body of sound and bass so... My favourite match is not warm for them but as clear and transparent as possible.

Thanks on the wire recommendation.

Also, you got the wrong DAC. Understandable, they both have mojo in the name.The below picture is my DAC, the Mojo Audio Mystique EVO. I guess to be fair, I never experimented outside of the Mojo Audio Mystique EVO (unless you count the R2R Pegasus as warm) and anything you throw at it will sound amazing, so the Mojo Audio Mystique EVO might be an a exception. The thing about the Mojo Audio Mystique EVO DAC is that it is extremely warm and my current amp the Nitsch Magni Piety is warm as well, so I’m rocking a bad combo right now with a really warm setup. Even with this bad combo, I still enjoy the Onkyo more than I did with my previous tube setup. The tubes makes it less veil, but take away a little sub bass slam. But with my current setup, the sub bass cans really hit and depending on the genre, that’s a game changer to me. Also because of that, I’ve been shying away from classical and been listening to more movie OST and pop/rock music recently, so it really depends on the genre you are listening to for your priorities. I do miss the Onkyo A800 being less veil with the tube amps in my previous tube amp setup, that’s why I’m getting another tube amp and hopefully it will arrive Thursday or Friday for me. The posted it earlier in the thread, but the below picture is what the Mojo Audio Mystique EVO DAC look like, a 40 lb beast.

 

[boodi]

Sorry, my fault i read fast and overlooked your message. Your system may indid sound very different from the " Mojo " I wrongly referred to

I agree that tubes may lower the slam in some bass/sub areas

 

[boodi]

Weirdly enough i find that a800 make guitars / effects and distortions literally sing as if they casted directly out from guitar amps...nontheless Marshall (the historic guitar amplifier brand ) is the designer and builder of the a800 drivers ; besides the outer housing materials being very similar to that of some guitar pre-amp head .., definitely I can refer to Marshall sound signature on my listenings as for some audio and tuning similarities , or at least prog or prog metal as well as technical guitar solos are genres where the a800 really kill it , rendering a very organic presentation ; I already wrote how good it feels to be able to understand drums and their build or follow guitar solos intricacies from so close or discern so convincingly some prog genres complexities manteining that organic feel..etc : to say that a800 sure are very good mediums for playing and consuming the music for this genres and instruments

So if I had to say that they don't do electric guitars particularly well, I really would not know where to start ..just i.e. Steve Vay " Bad Horsie " or " For the love of God " send chills in me on a800 and guitar have a gross bodied sound on both , full of particulars , picks plucks and dynamic nuances , very convincing , i recurrently play them from time to time and i feel amazed on the rendition on guitars - just exemples that can reapeat on many guitar solos or tracks and players , whose rendition benefit enormously from a800 drivers / vs other headphones. Just my ears. Ps guitar and electric guitar is not even my instrument or preferred one , just saying

 

[Saberpunch]

Weirdly enough i find that a800 make guitars / effects and distortions literally sing as if they casted directly out from guitar amps...nontheless Marshall (the historic guitar amplifier brand ) is the designer and builder of the a800 drivers ; besides the outer housing materials being very similar to that of some guitar pre-amp head .., definitely I can refer to Marshall sound signature on my listenings as for some audio and tuning similarities , or at least prog metal , as technical guitar solos are genres where the a800 really kill it , rendering a very organic presentation ; I already wrote how good it feels to be able to understand drums and their build or follow guitar solos intricacies from so close or discern so convincingly some prog genres complexities manteining that organic feel..etc : to say that a800 sure are very good mediums for playing and consuming the music for this genres and instruments.

So if I had to say that they don't do electric guitars particularly well, I really would not know where to start ..just i.e. Steve Vay " Bad Horsie " or " For the love of God " send chills in me on a800 and guitar have a gross bodied sound on both , very convincing , i play them fron time to time and i feel amazed on the rendition on guitars - just exemples as many guitar solos and players whose rendition benefit enormously from a800 drivers -vs other headphones. just my ears. Ps guitar and electric guitar is not my instrument or preferred one

You got jumping off my seat, now that's what I like to hear
I didn't know Marshall designed the A800 drivers. I guess that's another reason why the Onkyo A800 is so legendary! I never thought to use the Onkyo A800 for electric guitars because this thread keep talking about its naturalness and I thought it wouldn't have enough distortion. But now, this changes everything for me. I used to use the Caldera when playing the electric guitar, but I sold the Caldera because it wasn't for me. I've been looking for another open-back to use when playing the guitar, but I should try the Onkyo A800 a shot. I got the day off today, so this is going to be a sweet session!

 

[boodi]

nice.

About Marshall being the brand behind the design of the multilayered bio organic custom high power drivers for the a800 (pardon , not sure if I miss some terms) I hope to recall well as it never was an official info ..

 

[Saberpunch]

Came to report back on the Onkyo A800 on the electric guitar and I can see where our conversation has gotten confused. The Onkyo A800 does electric guitar really well, but I would not say the best. I still stand by what I said earlier in this thread (even all the way back from November). I still would say Onkyo A800 is the best I heard for percussions and natural vocal reproduction (to be clear on this one, I am not talking about clarity). I like the L3000 more for electric guitar and maybe even the AKG 240 Sextett EP (Not 100% confident on this one, I have to give that Sextett a listen again for an electric guitar). I think 1 biggest factor we should account for is that my setup does not have any tubes. My current setup is all solid state. The Nitsch Magni Piety does give off a tube sound, but it's still not the same thing. Tubes help add more distortion fun to the setup. L3000 doesn't really need tubes for that fun distortion sound. But for the Onkyo A800, you will probably want some tubes somewhere in your setup to help flavor the sound with more distortion.

 

[Saberpunch]

I forget to mention for the guitar amp, I use a cheap Yamaha solid-state amp.

 

[Meezyme]

G'day fellow A800 owners! For anyone considering replacing / changing pads, here's my 2 cents.

Above is the stock twist on/off mounting plate. On the inside, there is a plastic ring that clips in on the inside perimeter. Make some markings to help you later from re-installing the ring. Use something to poke into the holes and flick up gently; careful not to snap the plastic (shouldn't matter TOO much). Once the ring is off, put the pad on the mounting plate and insert the ring back in. Done!

Above pads are pretty much stock sound. Beyer-ish furry velour? 105mm fits perfect. go 110mm if you want a slightly larger ear space.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000577555269.html?spm=a2g0o.order_detail.0.0.2b27f19cifAFs8

Above pads ... Theeeese! Perforated-Hifiman-style-mesh-fabric-hybrid! 105mm. This is where the money is for me. This is how it's staying. Pads are wrapped around the gold ring.

A refined stock sound - more perceived clarity, less in your face overall sound, vocals stay the same as far as I can tell and slightly less bass. That foam (got it from from Hifiman packaging) brings the bass back up to stock pad level.

Imagine stock pads sound is 10/10 for intensity/aggressiveness/forward etc; these take it down to 8/10 which gives you a very noticeable refined version of that sound and keeps all the detail.

Same volume stock is a bit much for me, gets grating. Same volume with the perforated is like a breath of fresh air, all the information without the wincing. I can keep cranking up the volume with these pads (within reason) and it never bothers me!
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100....store_pc_allProduct.8148356.6.74aa43d0RpOGcl


Any other questions feel free to ask!

 

[boodi]

I agree that the extra cm in distance from ears , with velvet + perforated mesh , delivers and refine the sound . it should have been stock . i removed the bottom mesh lining and prefer it removed

 

[protoss]

I started liking the OG pads again.

The trick is just to bend the headband. Make it nice and loose and it's perfect. I suggest bending the headband first before pads swaps. Create a nice smooth arc.

Also, I did a mod, to the grills. It might be placebo but I perfer the new mod now. And that is to remove the thick foam sheet. If removed, you can not reinstall again because you technically have to rip it out. It's easy to do. And from the picture you know where to stick the knife or screwdriver to pull from without damaging the middle foam.

This new look should of been RAAL CA-1A look. Owell.

The new look and sound is what I am using for a while now. Again it might be placebo but I think it sounds better!
More air, Soundstage etch increase.

@boodi
That's fascinating that Marshall was also involved.

Onkyo+Gibson+Marshall = A800

Maybe we need more collaboration?

Sennheiser +Sony +ZMF ?
Hifiman+Audeze+Dan Clark ?
...this can be more healthy and more unique.